DFO tries to allay fishermen's fears that protected area would impact livelihood

The two-lane highway along Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore is dotted with dozens of signs declaring"No Marine Protected Area Here!"

It's asign,literally,of organized opposition to a proposed 2,000-square-kilometre marine protected area.

The Eastern Shore Islands area is the first coastal candidate in Canada with an active inshore commercial fishery, albeit a small one with just 150 lobster fishermen. Still, they are a mainstay of the local economy and leading the opposition.

The fishermen fear a marine protected area, or MPA,wouldautomatically lead to so-called no-take zones,barring industrial activities like harvesting.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is moving to put those fears at rest.

"We will not be making a recommendation for there to be a zone of high protection within the MPA," saidWendy Williams, director of DFO Maritimes Oceans Management.

Last week, the departmentpresented the results of a draft risk assessment to an advisory committee established to recommend what should or should not be allowed inside Eastern Shore Islands.

The committee was created after the department declared the unspoiledarchipelago of hundreds of islands an area of interest. It is the first step on the road to designation as a marine protected area under the federal Oceans Act.

The risk assessment concludedthe lobster fishery wouldnot harm the kelp beds, eel grass and cod nursery the federal government wants to protect.

"The predominant activity that takes place there is the lobster fishery. It's a low-impact fishery. It only operates two months a year, so we feel it's not necessary to have a no-take," Williams said in an interview.

"We talked to the advisory committee about that and what we heard and unanimously around the table is that they felt the same way. So in our design going forwardwe will not be incorporating a no-take zone."

Fishermen seek assurances

But fisherman Peter Connors is not declaring victory.

"You have to remember this is deathbed conversion," he said.

As president of the Eastern Shore Fishermen's Protective Association,Connorsrepresents the 150 active lobster fishermen in the area.

He does not trust DFO and is seekingsome sort of legally binding commitment from federal Fisheries Minister Jonathan WilkinsonhonouringWilliams's promise.

"I want to know the mechanism that he's going to use and just how he intends to secure that for future generations," said Connors."I don't want a trust me proposition and I don't want a temporary reprieve ... just because they are facing a lot of opposition now."

Connors acknowledgedamarine protected areaon the Eastern Shore could help "Canada's brand" from a marketing perspective. The countryhas committed to protecting 10 per cent of its ocean by 2020.

'Give and take'

Environmentalists have watched in frustration as opposition to Eastern Shore Islands galvanized over the prospect of no-take zones.

Susanna Fuller, seniorprojects manager for conservation organizationOceans North,urged DFO to eliminate no-take zones from the discussion last year.

"Since it has been such an issue of contention, we are hoping that this gives the community and the fishermen a sense that they are being heard," said Fuller.

"For this process to go forward there needs to be some give and take."

While DFO has decided to allow unrestricted lobster fishing inside Eastern Shore Islands, Williams saidno precedent has been set.

"Every MPAis different. If people have their expectations raised in any particular way because of what we're looking at now for this MPA,they really shouldn't. Everything is unique and we need to look at it that way," she said.